Networking United Nations Private Sector Focal Points

Project context

Innovative partnerships with business and civil society have become a common phenomenon across the United Nations System. A wide range of programs, funds, and specialized agencies across the entire UN family closely work with the private sector. Many United Nations organizations have assigned so-called Private Sector Focal Points who coordinate activities with the private sector within their respective organization. The Focal Points further liaise across the United Nations in order to communicate information, share experiences, plan and devise joint activities, and avoid duplication in their efforts.

As the number and complexity of these partnerships increase, it is becoming ever more crucial to coordinate activities and keep Focal Points from diverse agencies informed about what their colleagues are doing and what they have learned about partnerships through experience. Some UN organizations, such as UNICEF, UNESCO, or UNDP, have had much experience in working with the private sector; they have developed effective tools and instruments for building and working in partnerships. Less experienced organizations could significantly profit from their peers’ experiences and lessons learned.

Project objectives

In light of this background the UN Global Compact Office has initiated a programme to improve coordination across the United Nations Private Sector Focal Points network.

The objectives are to:

• Enhance Communication: Basic information sharing and dissemination about partnership related activities in- and outside the United Nations, specifically also towards the country level.
• Strengthen Education: Educating and training of Private Sector Focal Points; utilizing also the potential Private Sector Focal Points as multipliers into country offices.
• Advance Coordination: Effective networking with staff from bilateral agencies working on partnership issues.
• Improve Collaboration: Contribute to community-building, sense of ownership among UN staff working in partnership.

To help achieve these goals, GPPi:

• Assists the UN Global Compact Office in the conceptual preparation of the UN Private Sector Focal Points annual coordination meetings, including: Conceptualizing working groups and identifying speakers; facilitating meetings; identifying external resource persons; and producing summary and lessons learned documents to be shared among meeting participants.
• Provides and coordinates content for the newsletter, administered by the UN Global Compact Office, entitled The UN-Business Focal Point to be published online and distributed among UN Privates Sector Focal Points.